Demonic Sorceries
Scholars in Greyhaven and elsewhere hold that despite its vile nature, the Ynfernael is a primordial part of all existence. Some others simply believe it is the source of all evil in Mennara, and can trace every terrible act and betrayal back to its influence on the desperate and weak willed. They even hold that the rifts where the boundary between Mennara and the Aenlong are thin and tenuous, the Ynfernael’s baneful energies can spill through and befoul the land and taint those who reside there, no matter their intentions or will. In their view, accessing the plane of demons is extraordinarily dangerous and not worth the vast power it can bestow. For others, however, the power of the Ynfernael is everything.
The Uthuk Y'llan fully embrace the Ynfernael, and its foul energy pulses in each beat of their hearts and each drop of blood they spill. It has been the source of their furious power ever since their first chief Llovar fell prey to the demons and transformed the peaceful plains-dwellers into a hungry horde of locusts. As the power corrupted and transformed their flesh, the Ynfernael twisted the magics of the Loth K’har as well. The nightseers of the dreamwalking tradition now used their abilities to travel to and commune with demons from beyond. Their ancient ability to link minds into harmonious discussion grew darker until it became their method to command and dominate the Locust armies. Those who spoke out against the corruption of their ancient ways were destroyed, leaving only rage and hate in their place.
Since then, the Uthuk have honed their ability to travel the Aenlong to gain glimpses of the Ynfernael plane and its inhabitants. The unnatural creatures dwelling there can directly draw upon the dark powers of that plane. The most powerful of these demons call on Ynfernael magic with ease, as it flows from the plane of evil and through them like blood coursing through veins.
The Uthuk are not the only ones in Mennara who use Ynfernael magic, for the Daewyl Elves also appear to draw on this unholy power. These Elves had dared to travel to blighted planes of the Aenlong to slay the many corrupted creatures there, but were themselves corrupted by the Ynfernael taint. Many of the Daewyl now call upon that dark source of magic as they single-mindedly fight against evil, no matter the consequences to themselves or those around them.
The Costs of Power
The rites associated with the magic of demons is as horrifying as the creatures themselves. They normally involve sacrifices of flesh and blood, of bone and tissue. No rite is ever identical, for they draw on the unique hate, passion, and rage of the mage to summon beings from the Ynfernael or commune with them. People who wish to employ Ynfernael magic might do it for noble reasons. Yet this can never end well, for the Ynfernael is simply too powerful to withstand. It is the antithesis to the creative force of life—destructive and utterly corrupting.
Those dealing with Ynfernael magic can rarely hide the effects of their practices for long. Its corrupting nature makes foul changes to flesh, reflecting the corruption of the soul. Those who draw on its power, or even delve too deeply into its secrets, can find themselves growing horns, fangs, taloned nails, and even leathery wings. As their visages become more and more twisted, it will become harder to disguise their corruption. Even exposure to regions heavy with Ynfernael corruption can effect characters in these ways, though not to as large an extent.
Corrupted Lands
The Ynfernael corrupts not only its users, but even the very ground in some areas. These are thought to be regions where reality itself is thin and the Ynfernael can bleed into Mennara. Such rifts not only allow demons in the Ynfernael to whisper and taunt mortals, but also to debase the surrounding area. Trees become stunted and twisted into unnerving shapes, plants grow hungry for flesh, and even the most timid of creatures become feral and thirsty for blood.
The Darklands are infamous for such lands and areas of weak boundaries, the most infamous being where Llovar first dreamwalked into the Ynfernael. There can also be other areas in Mennara equally porous, perhaps dating back to the calamities of the War of the Shadow Tear or as the sites of horrid rituals.
Signs of the Ynfernael
Although there are dark hints that Ynfernael magic bled into Mennara in earlier times, it was not until Llovar Rutonu that this foul practice gained a powerful foothold. Though study of such magic is utterly forbidden, some mages believe this to be a dark counterpart to Divine magic, and so as the Empyrean blesses all that is good and pure in magic, so the Ynfernael empowers that which is horrid and dark.
From a forgotten rift, its influence spread across the Ru, infesting both the peoples of this land and the land itself. Bodies deform as protruding talons and bonespurs grow and spurt out of coarsened skin. In some of the corrupting energy became the fuel for fearsome magic, especially for those who became the first witches of bone and blood, their veins rich with demonic blood.
Such magic is powerful but difficult to control, and many who are born with the talent to wield them destroy themselves as they seek to master the power of demons. The witches of the Blood Coven carefully oversees their progress, and weed out the weak through tortuous rites and fierce competitions. The survivors join the coven as apprentices; once fully proven as loyal and worthy of the full blessings of the Ynfernael, they use their sorceries to both terrify and inspire the disparate tribes into a unified, unstoppable horde.
Uthuk warlocks operate in even darker manners. In their sleep, they roam across the Aenlong, hunting down their enemies like deer and conversing with the fell beings of the Ynfernael. It is their dealings that reveal their true dangers, for they are the masters of the dark rituals and fell ceremonies of blood and screams.
Through these sacrifices warlocks implore the Ynfernael to summon forth demons into Mennara. Such conjurations can involve many weeks of vile consecrations and horrid, unceasing chants, all to allow the summoned creatures a strong presence in the mortal plane that is not easily severed. To witness one such rite is a terrifying experience, made even more so should it be conducted successfully. In comparison, the horrid murder ceremonies the Uthuk commonly conduct before battles are more swift but allow for demons only a fleeting foothold—though it is usually long enough for them to thoroughly petrify and devour enemy forces.
Warlocks eschew direct roles to wield their power secretly as well, growing cults of followers in western lands like Terrinoth, Lorimor, and even Al-Kalim. From within these civilized nations, they burrow deeply into the soft, exposed underbelly of their foes and poison it with the taint of Ynfernael magic. Through their blood rituals, often involving kidnapped inhabitants for the freshest and most powerful effect, they not only grow the power of the Uthuk but strengthen the presence of the Ynfernael.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth